Trapped Behind Words: InuOkko

Chapter 15: Tired

Yuta thought the first meeting went rather well. It was almost disappointing when he had to return to his apartment. Those blades were jabbed into the wall as a reminder of his weakness - as if he had the ability to forget.

Upon entering the darkened opening corridor of his unit, Yuta collapsed to the ground. The meeting wasn't bad, but it was so much. However, there were a few people who attended that seemed rather nice. Whether she wanted to or not, Maki sounded gentle with the way she approached the topic of her family. Even more so was the interesting character of one Inumaki Toge.

"Who are you," Yuta found himself saying aloud.

It was a chain reaction. All Inumaki had to do was open up a little, and the whole room changed their tune. Was he some kind of influential figure or maybe he was just plain popular? Yuta couldn't help but smile, facing the chipped and stained paint of his apartment's walls. For once in his life, he wasn't thinking about himself or Rika. Inumaki had given him that, if only for a second.

The sun was essentially completely set by the time Gojo drove him back to the complex. The white-haired man didn't step out of the vehicle. Out of everyone Yuta had met that day, Gojo was still significantly odder than the rest.

Yuta's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out slowly, expecting it to be a spam email from some subscription service or his Spotify premium. What he didn't anticipate was the message from an unknown number.

"Hi, it's Inumaki Toge. We met today, and I figured I'd send you a message so you had my number too," the text read.

Yuta replied, "Hi! I didn't expect something from you so soon. I figured you were just trying to be nice to the new guy."

"No, nothing like that. You just seemed interesting, that's all," Inumaki texted back.

Yuta raised a brow with a slight smile, responding, "Interesting? I think you mean awkward."

"Maybe a little awkward, but that's not what I meant," Inumaki replied.

"Then how am I interesting to you?"

There was a brief pause in the flow of messages. Yuta grunted. He was being too careless. Inumaki was a nice guy, and all Yuta was doing was probing for answers. No one had asked for his number outside of work. Inumaki was interesting too, but it was difficult to qualify.

"You seem like a cool person I'd want to hang out with. Are you free tonight?" Inumaki replied.

Yuta almost dropped his phone, taken aback by the question, "Like hang out tonight? It's kind of late. I think most places are closing soon."

Inumaki replied quickly, "No, I mean at my place. We can play video games and eat food. I've been kind of lonely lately. Could use a distraction from everything going on."

Inumaki wanted him to go over to his place? Based on the clothes the silver-haired man wore, it wouldn't be as small or dinky of an apartment. Yuta shook his head; there was so much happening, and it was so sudden.

"I'll send an Uber to your place if you want. I don't mind at all. Either that or I'll pay Gojo to break down your door," Inumaki texted.

Was Gojo known for his devious lock-picking skills? On one hand, Yuta wanted to decline, but on the other, the day was full of new experiences. Inumaki was trustworthy enough for a room full of people to delve into their pasts.

"I'll come, if I can pay for the ride," Yuta responded.

"No deal, my apartment, my rules. You don't get to pay for it," Inumaki replied.